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The Lion King
Synopsis Act I As the sun rises, Rafiki calls the animals to Pride Rock to witness the presentation of Simba where a giraffe enters from stage right to be followed by leaping gazelles zebras and finally the elephant who lumbers on stage from the audience midway through the song . where She greets King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi before lifting baby Simba high above the gathered animals. Elsewhere, Scar laments on his lost chance at becoming king, and is about to attack the hornbill majordomo Zazu. Before he can do so, Mufasa arrives and confronts him.including a conversation between king mufasa and zazu about king mufasas parenting skills Back at her baobab tree, Rafiki asks the spirits to conjure the new prince's name: Simba. She paints an image of cub Simba onto her tree. to conjure the new princes name simba Time passes and Simba grows into a lively young cub His father Mufasa shows him the Pride Lands from the top of Pride Rock, and then leads his son down into the grasslands. Mufasa explains to Simba that everything exists in a delicate balance known as the Circle of Life. Mufasa warns Simba not to stray beyond the boundaries of the Pride Lands where simba sees a flock of buzzards and vultures which allows the king to explain to his son that were connected in the great circle of life. Zazu arrives and delivers a report on the goings-on in the Pride Lands, and Simba takes this opportunity to practice his pouncing After being pounced on, Zazu relays the information that spotted hyenas have been sighted in the Pride Lands. Mufasa leaves to deal with them and Simba is left all alone to his own devices. Simba goes to see his uncle Scar. The scheming lion piques the cub's curiosity by mentioning the elephant graveyard, a place where Simba is forbidden to go. Scar knows that Simba will be unable to resist the temptation and go there. The lionesses go out hunting and Simba arrives and asks his best friend Nala to come with him to the elephant graveyard, although he does not mention their intended location to his mother. Sarafina (Nala's mother) and Sarabi agree to let the cubs go, but only if Zazu accompanies them. Simba and Nala formulate a plan and manage to lose Zazu where there are four wildly colored giraffe puppets and other animals The cubs journey to the graveyard and begin to explore until Zazu stops them. They are about to leave when they are confronted by the three hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. When they heard that Zazu had called them "slobbering, mangy, stupid poachers," they shoot the majordomo bird into the air with the "Birdie Boiler." The hyenas begin to gloat over Simba and Nala eagely but As the predator-prey chase pursues, Simba climbs up to safety, but Nala gets surround by the hyenas where. Mufasa appears thanks to Zazu warning him, frightens off the hyenas and saves the two cubs. They return to the Pride Lands. Mufasa is disappointed that Simba disobeyed him. Simba explains that he was only trying to be brave like his father. Mufasa explains that bravery doesn't mean you go looking for trouble. Simba asks if he and his father will always be together, causing Mufasa to look up to the night sky and tell Simba about the great kings of the past and how they guide and watch over everything in the night sky. Mufasa says that he will always be there for his son. Back at the elephant graveyard, the three hyenas lick their wounds until Scar arrives. Scar explains that he will soon be king if the hyenas assist him, and that the hyenas will never be hungry again if they agree to support him meanwhile At Pride Rock, Zazu apologizes to Mufasa for Simba's bad behavior. where zazu accepts his apology Mufasa jokes with Zazu but admits that he is worried about Simba. Zazu tells Mufasa that Simba resembles the King when he was a cub. meanwhile the giraffe enters from stage left meandering cautiously across the stage as the cheetah enters from stage right where it spots the giraffe and slowly turns around to stalk it where it is interesting to note that this scene along with shadow puppets after the added scene about zazu apologizing to mufasa were added because of the enormous length of time over full length three minutes where it was time for the giraffes and cheetah to go back to the pridelands where it was needed to set up the technically complex wildebeest stampede Later, Scar takes Simba to the gorge and tells him to wait there. Scar leaves and signals the hyenas, who start a wildebeest stampede down into the gorge Scar tells Mufasa that Simba is trapped in the gorge and Mufasa races to his son's aid. Mufasa leaps into the stampede and manages to save his son, but as he climbs a cliff, Scar betrays him and whispers long live the king then throws him back into the stampede where he is killed. where Scar causes Simba to believe that his father's death was his fault, and that he should flee the Pride Lands. Simba does so. As Simba runs, Scar orders Shenzi, Banzai and Ed to chase and kill Simba, but Simba escapes and the hyenas decide to leave him and make Scar believe where they told scar that Simba is dead . Back at Pride Rock the lionesses and Rafiki mourn the death of Mufasa and Simba (Scar tells them that Simba died and they mourn the death meanwhile Scar climbs to the promontory of Pride Rock, claims the throne for himself, and lets the hyenas into the Pride Lands as his executive staff Rafiki returns to her tree and smears the drawing of Simba, while Sarabi and Nala mourn for the ones they have loved and lost. Out in the desert Simba collapses from heat exhaustion. Vultures begin to circle, but are scared away by Timon, the meerkat, and Pumbaa, the warthog. The duo take the cub back to their jungle home and introduce him to their laid-back way of life where Simba stays in the jungle with his new friends and grows into an adult lion for a very short time just before the end of act 1 we see the young lion transform into an adult lion where simba timon and pumbaa sing their solo and join in while the curtain closes for 15 minute intermission Act 2 The second act begins with ornate bird puppets and kites, begin the second act which some of the choir come out where the song is full of hope . But as the song ends, the beautiful birds went away to place and are replaced by buzzards and vultures and the skeletons of gazelles and more gazelle skeletons. A drought has hit the Pride Lands under Scar's tyrannical rule. Zazu, now a prisoner of Scar, listens to the king's woes. First, Scar gets delusions of Mufasa's ghost haunting in every shadow. Then, he laments that he is not loved, and arrives on the idea of finding a queen and having cubs. Nala arrives to to inform Scar that there is no food and no water, just as the hyenas reported the same thing a few minutes ago scar decides to take nala as his mate but when; Scar attempts to flirt with her. Nala slashes Scar's face and escapes with nala Utterly frustrated and upset at current events, Nala decides to leave the Pride Lands and find help, vowing that she will never forget her pride. The lionesses and Rafiki offer a blessing and bless her for nalas journey for good wishes Back in the jungle Simba leads Timon and Pumbaa to find a resting place. Timon and Pumbaa want to sleep, but the restless Simba can't stop moving. He leaps across a fast-moving river and challenges Timon the meerkat to do the same. Timon falls into the water and is swept downstream by the current until he reaches a waterfall, where he grabs onto a branch. Simba wants to save Timon the meerkat but is sent into a flashback of Mufasa's death. Timon the meerkat falls from the branch and Simba snaps out of the flashback, rescuing his friend. Simba is ashamed that Timon the meerkat nearly died because of his recklessness. That night the three friends look up at the stars, wondering what they are. Simba recalls Mufasa's words regarding the great kings of the past, but Timon and Pumbaa dismiss it and laugh at the notion. Simba leaves, looking up at the sky and bitterly remembering his father's promise that he would always be there for Simba as he remembers what his father king mufasa told him about being there for him meanwhile In the Pride Lands, Rafiki hears Simba's song on the wind and comes to the joyous conclusion that Simba is alive. She draws a mane onto the drawing of Simba on her tree. In the jungle, Pumbaa is being hunted and chased by a lioness. Simba confronts the lioness and saves his friend. The lioness flips Simba, causing Simba to recognize that the lioness is his childhood friend Nala. Nala is shocked and overjoyed to find Simba alive, knowing that he is the rightful king. Timon and Pumbaa are confused by this and Simba tells the two to leave so that he and Nala can be alone. Timon realizes what is happening and laments that he and Pumbaa's Hakuna Matata lifestyle has come to an end meanwhile Nala tells Simba about the state of the devastated Pride Lands, trying to encourage him to return and take his rightful place as king. Simba is still guilty about his father's death and leaves. On his own, Simba meets Rafiki. Rafiki explains to Simba that his father is still alive and helps him inside through the song but As Simba looks towards the sky his father appears as a heavenly vision. Mufasa demands that Simba remember who he is - the rightful king - and that Simba must return home. Simba realizes what he must do. Simba returns to Pride Rock with Nala, Timon and Pumbaa, where Simba witnesses the ruin that his home has fallen into. Timon and Pumbaa lure some hyenas away allowing simba and nala to reach pride rock : Timon dressing in drag and doing the hula, Pumbaa playing as the stuffed pig. Simba tells Nala to go find his mother while he goes look for Scar. Scar calls for Sarabi and demands to know why the lionesses aren't hunting. Sarabi tells him that there is no food or water and that they need to leave Pride Rock to survive. Scar refuses where angrily comparing him to king mufasa and when Sarabi snaps at him about not being half the king Mufasa was, where Scar strikes his sister-in-law saying that he was ten times the king Mufasa was. At this, an enraged Simba leaps down, startling Scar who believes his nephew to be dead. Scar forces a confession of murder from Simba and attacks him, forcing him over the edge of Pride Rock. Believing that he has won, Scar whispers to Simba that he was the one who killed Mufasa. Simba, infuriated, leaps up and grabs Scar by the throat, causing Scar to reveal the truth. A fierce battle rages between the lionesses, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki and the hyenas. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed chase Timon towards Zazu and surround them. But before they could feast, they have faced the wrath of "Mr. Pig!" where simbas friends fight the hyenas while simba battles scar to the top of pride rock meanwhile Simba corners Scar on the top of Pride Rock, where Scar begs for his life and blames everything on the hyenas where simba lets him leave scar out of mercy. In a repetition of Scar's words to cub Simba, Simba tells Scar to run away and never return. Scar appears to follow this request, but turns quickly and attacks Simba again. Simba flips his uncle over the cliff where the hyenas are waiting below who heard scars betrayal and are still starving. They surround their former leader where he was the main course. and tear him to shreds as the dawn breaks The battle had finally ended, with the battle won Simba's friends come forward and acknowledge Simba as the new and rightful king where. Rafiki arrives and places the king's mantle on Simba. Simba climbs to the top of Pride Rock where simba acsends pride rock reclaiming his rightful place as king and heard king mufasas voice remember and roars out across the kingdom. The animals gather at the call of their new king and celebrate.the continuing circle of life after simba and the others defeat scar and the hyenas Rafiki, Nala and Simba ascend Pride Rock where Rafiki lifts Simba and Nala's newborn cub high into the air, thus continuing the Circle of Life and ushering in a new golden age at the end of act 2 with the curtain call and they all lived happily ever after the end Songs Original Broadway cast Category:The Lion King Category:Musicals